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Epicurious

Honey Pistachio Mooncakes

4.2

(6)

Four honey pistachio mooncakes.
Photo by Kristina Cho

A lot of the conversations I have with my mom revolve around brain-storming recipe ideas, or my taking detailed notes about how she makes her famous spring rolls or fried chicken. I asked for her help in creating a fuss-free mooncake flavor, with a filling that was easy to make and didn’t require a special trip to the Asian market. Our inspiration was the traditional and decisive mixed nuts and ham mooncake, a flavor that never seemed to make it onto our mooncake plate at home. The filling actually isn’t bad: sweet nuts are mixed with bits of salty cured pork. Our version focuses on the mixed nut portion and omits the pork. Pistachios are blended with honey (orange blossom honey is a good choice), coconut oil, and a generous amount of salt. The filling tastes like a candy bar (minus the chocolate) and is delicious enough to eat with a spoon.

The biggest challenge of making a mooncake filling is ensuring that it’s firm enough to keep the mooncakes from deflating in the oven. This filling can be pressed into a ball and withstand the weight of the mooncake pastry. Pistachio, or any nut really, is perfect for that very reason, but it also happens to be my mom’s favorite. This recipe is dedicated to (and inspired by) her.

Specialty equipment:

This recipe requires a 50g mooncake mold for small mooncakes. You can also use a 100g mooncake mold for larger mooncakes.

This recipe will make 6 large mooncakes (one salted egg yolk in each) with a 100g mooncake mold.

Mooncakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

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